Michael Williams, right, attends a press conference announcing his new position as Interim Director of Athletics after the former Director of Athletics Sandy Barbour, at left, announced her change of position at California Memorial Stadium at the University of California, Berkeley on Friday, June 26, 2014. less

Michael Williams, right, attends a press conference announcing his new position as Interim Director of Athletics after the former Director of Athletics Sandy Barbour, at left, announced her change of position ... more

Photo: TIM HUSSIN

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Michael Williams, Cal’s interim athletic director, is also a candidate.

Michael Williams, Cal’s interim athletic director, is also a candidate.

Photo: TIM HUSSIN

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University of California Athletic Director Sandy Barbour speaks at a memorial service for Ted Agu, a student and football player at the University of California in Berkeley, Calif., on Monday, February 24, 2014. Agu passed away unexpectedly on Friday, Feb. 7th. less

University of California Athletic Director Sandy Barbour speaks at a memorial service for Ted Agu, a student and football player at the University of California in Berkeley, Calif., on Monday, February 24, ... more

Cal athletic director Sandy Barbour and head football coach Sonny Dykes speak at a news conference to address the death of Cal Bears football defensive end Ted Agu during a team workout this morning in Berkeley, Calif. on Friday, Feb. 7, 2014. less

Cal athletic director Sandy Barbour and head football coach Sonny Dykes speak at a news conference to address the death of Cal Bears football defensive end Ted Agu during a team workout this morning in ... more

Cal Athletics Director Sandy Barbour announced the elimination of four teams and a reassignment of a fifth at the Hearst Memorial Mining Building at Berkeley on September 28, 2010.

Cal Athletics Director Sandy Barbour announced the elimination of four teams and a reassignment of a fifth at the Hearst Memorial Mining Building at Berkeley on September 28, 2010.

Photo: Susana Bates, Special To The Chronicle

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Cal's athletic director, Sandy Barbour and head coach Sonny Dykes, walk off the field after the game as the Cal Berkeley Golden Bears went on to lose to Northwestern Wildcats 44-30 at Memorial stadium in Berkeley , Calif. on Saturday August 31, 2013. less

Cal's athletic director, Sandy Barbour and head coach Sonny Dykes, walk off the field after the game as the Cal Berkeley Golden Bears went on to lose to Northwestern Wildcats 44-30 at Memorial stadium in ... more

Photo: Michael Macor, San Francisco Chronicle

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University of California, Director of Athletics Sandy Barbour holds a press conference, to announce the dismissal of the football's head coach Jeff Tedford, in Berkeley, Ca. on Tuesday Nov. 20, 2012. Jeff Tedford who has overseen the Golden Bears football program for the past 11 seasons, has been relieved of his duties as head coach at the UNiversity of California.

University of California, Director of Athletics Sandy Barbour holds a press conference, to announce the dismissal of the football's head coach Jeff Tedford, in Berkeley, Ca. on Tuesday Nov. 20, 2012. Jeff

Dirks formally announced what filtered out Thursday: Barbour will leave her position, which she has held for nearly 10 years, on July 15, and Williams, a former Cal wrestler, will replace her until a successor can be found.

Williams retired from a career in finance in 2009 and has been active on campus since then, including serving as vice chair of the UC Berkeley Foundation.

Speaking after the news conference, Williams said he's not interested in the job on a permanent basis, though he acknowledged that his interim stint could last awhile as Cal conducts its national search for Barbour's replacement.

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"I don't have interest in sports management as a profession," Williams said. "I love this university and I'm deeply committed to what it stands for. This is an opportunity to continue working on what I've done as a volunteer."

Barbour, one of only a handful of female athletic directors at top level football schools when she arrived, noted the symbolic significance of holding Friday's event in a club room at the stadium. She spearheaded the extensive renovation of the decaying, nearly century-old facility in 2011 and '12, along with the construction of an adjacent athletic training facility.

The upgrade counts as Barbour's landmark achievement in many ways - but it also brings lingering questions about the debt, estimated in June 2013 at $445 million.

Barbour insisted the school is $2 million to $3 million ahead of projections in raising money to pay down the debt. She said sales of premium seats underperformed but stock-market investments and naming rights - Cal's football team will play this season on "Kabam Field at Memorial Stadium" - have over-performed.

"I'm confident we can service the debt," Barbour said.

As for the significance of rebuilding the stadium, a project spurred by seismic concerns, she said, "It's huge, because the campus has been talking about it for 30 years. A lot of people said it couldn't be done - but here we are."

Barbour then spread her arms wide and gazed around the room.

Her decade atop Cal's athletic department - one of the most ambitious in the nation, fielding 30 teams - included a wide range of highs and lows. Among the highs were retaining then-football coach Jeff Tedford when the Bears were winning and he was in demand; hiring basketball coaches Mike Montgomery, Joanne Boyle and Lindsay Gottlieb, who all had immediate success; and 19 national team championships.

Among the lows was firing Tedford as the football program sagged on the field and in the classroom; enduring an embarrassing 1-11 season in 2013 under new coach Sonny Dykes; and, of course, the report in October showing Cal's football team had the worst graduation rate among the nation's 72 major-conference schools.

That report angered many high-powered alums and donors; one source said flatly it led to Barbour's departure. Dirks acknowledged he held numerous meetings with Barbour and came to believe a change was needed.

"Given the challenges and opportunities that lie before us, we believe our university will benefit from leadership that can provide new energy and a fresh perspective," Dirks said.

Dirks traced the academic concerns farther back than October, reiterating they were a factor in Tedford's firing in November 2012 (before Dirks took over as chancellor).

"I took responsibility for that at the time it came out, but I also took responsibility two years earlier and I took responsibility for fixing it," Barbour said. "We've already made great progress."

Barbour, 54, was mostly businesslike during Friday's news conference, though she also turned emotional at times. She described it as a "sad day" and appeared to fight back tears while saying, "I love this institution. I wouldn't trade one minute of the past 10 years."

Barbour received a standing ovation when she announced her departure in a staff meeting Friday morning. She will move into a new role with UC Berkeley Extension next month, developing a sports management program.

Barbour's contract runs through June 30, 2016. She will continue to receive her base salary of more than $429,000 in the 2014-15 fiscal year and approximately $442,000 in 2015-16. Her total compensation for the final two years of the deal, including bonuses, is estimated at $990,000.

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